BHUTAN
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BHUTAN
@Bhutan:Geography
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
Map references: Asia
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BHUTAN - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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THIMPHU 20,000 27.32N, 89.45E 975- GMT+5.5
Taga Dzong 19,000 27.05N, 89.55E 975- GMT+5.5
Punakha 13,000 27.38N, 89.50E 975- GMT+5.5
Bumthang 11,000 26.55N, 90.53E 975- GMT+5.5
Phuntsholing 10,000 26.53N, 89.23E 975- GMT+5.5
Paro 3,000 27.23N, 89.31E 975- GMT+5.5
Tongsa Dzong 3,000 27.33N, 90.30E 975- GMT+5.5
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Area:
total area: 47,000 sq km
land area: 47,000 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Indiana
Land boundaries: total 1,075 km, China 470 km, India 605 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: none
Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot
summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in
Himalayas
Terrain: mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 5%
forest and woodland: 70%
other: 23%
Irrigated land: 340 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: soil erosion; limited access to potable water
natural hazards: violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the
source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder
Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season
international agreements: party to - Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not
ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls
several key Himalayan mountain passes
@Bhutan:People
Population: 1,780,638 (July 1995 est.)
note: other estimates range as low as 600,000
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (female 342,276; male 368,916)
15-64 years: 56% (female 486,258; male 513,560)
65 years and over: 4% (female 34,215; male 35,413) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.34% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 39.02 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 15.61 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 118.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 51.03 years
male: 51.56 years
female: 50.48 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.39 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Bhutanese
Ethnic divisions: Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or
migrant tribes 15%
Religions: Lamaistic Buddhism 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced
Hinduism 25%
Languages: Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects;
Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA
by occupation: agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2%
note: massive lack of skilled labor
@Bhutan:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan
conventional short form: Bhutan
Digraph: BT
Type: monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Capital: Thimphu
Administrative divisions: 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and
plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi,
Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang,
Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
Independence: 8 August 1949 (from India)
National holiday: National Day, 17 December (1907) (Ugyen Wangchuck
became first hereditary king)
Constitution: no written constitution or bill of rights
Legal system: based on Indian law and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: each family has one vote in village-level elections
Executive branch:
Chief of State and Head of Government: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK
(since 24 July 1972)
Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde): nominated by the king
cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog); appointed by the
king
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Tshogdu); no
national elections
Judicial branch: High Court
Political parties and leaders: no legal parties
Other political or pressure groups: Buddhist clergy; Indian merchant
community; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant
antigovernment campaign
Member of: AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF,
INTELSAT, IOC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO,
WIPO
Diplomatic representation in US: Bhutan has no embassy in the US, but
does have a Permanent Mission to the UN, headed by Ugyen TSERING,
located at 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017,
telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; note - the Bhutanese mission to the UN
has consular jurisdiction in the US
consulate(s) general: New York
honorary consulate(s): San Francisco; Washington, DC
US diplomatic representation: no formal diplomatic relations, although
informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in
New Delhi (India)
Flag: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper
triangle is orange and the lower triangle is red; centered along the
dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the
hoist side
Economy
Overview: The economy, one of the world's least developed, is based on
agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for 90% of
the population and account for about half of GDP. Agriculture consists
largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains
dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other
infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned
with India's through strong trade and monetary links. The industrial
sector is small and technologically backward, with most production of
the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road
construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower
potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources; however,
the government limits the number of tourists to 4,000 per year to
minimize foreign influence. Much of the impetus for growth has come
from large public-sector companies. Nevertheless, in recent years,
Bhutan has shifted toward decentralized development planning and
greater private initiative. The government privatized several large
public-sector firms, is revamping its trade regime and liberalizing
administerial procedures over industrial licensing. The government's
industrial contribution to GDP decreased from 13% in 1988 to about 11%
in 1993.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $700 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (October 1994)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $52 million
expenditures: $150 million, including capital expenditures of $95
million (FY93/94 est.)
note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's
budget expenditures
Exports: $66.8 million (f.o.b., FY93/94)
commodities: cardamon, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit,
electricity (to India), precious stones, spices
partners: India 87%, Bangladesh
Imports: $97.6 million (c.i.f., FY93/94 est.)
commodities: fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts,
vehicles, fabrics, rice
partners: India 79%, Japan, UK, Germany, US
External debt: $141 million (October 1994)
Industrial production: growth rate 7.6% (1992 est.); accounts for 18%
of GDP; primarily cottage industry and home based handicrafts
Electricity:
capacity: 360,000 kW
production: 1.7 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 143 kWh (1993)
note: Bhutan exports electricity to India
Industries: cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic
beverages, calcium carbide
Agriculture: rice, corn, root crops, citrus fruit, dairy products,
foodgrains, eggs
Economic aid:
recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $115 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $11
million
Currency: 1 ngultrum (Nu) = 100 chetrum; note - Indian currency is
also legal tender
Exchange rates: ngultrum (Nu) per US$1 - 31.374 (January 1995), 31.374
(1994), 30.493 (1993), 25.918 (1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990);
note - the Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Bhutan:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 2,165 km
paved: NA
unpaved: gravel 1,703 km
undifferentiated: 462 km
Ports: none
Airports:
total: 2
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
@Bhutan:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; domestic telephone service is very
poor with very few telephones in use
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: international telephone and telegraph service is by
land line through India; an earth station was planned (1990)
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1990)
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 0 (1990)
televisions: NA
@Bhutan:Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Bhutan Army, Palace Guard, Militia, Royal Bhutan
Police
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 434,586; males fit for military
service 232,121; males reach military age (18) annually 17,365 (1995
est.)
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
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